Tang Ya's Will of the Root, Fusion with White Zetsu Cells

Feeling the pitch-black will emanating from Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao, wearing a Tiger Mask, nodded slightly.

As expected.

The kinder and more cheerful a person originally was,

the more extreme and ruthless they became after their faith collapsed and they fell into darkness.

Obito from Naruto had been like that, and so was Tang Ya before him.

"Very good, Tang Ya."

"This resolve is precisely what you lacked."

With a flick of his wrist, Huo Yuhao produced a specially made metal syringe out of thin air.

A white liquid flowed within the transparent barrel. Upon closer inspection, the liquid seemed alive, slowly wriggling and dividing.

"This is what I promised you."

Huo Yuhao held the syringe out before Tang Ya, his voice low and seductive:

"This is a source substance extracted by this old man from the Seed of the Divine Tree."

"It possesses the power of All-Encompassing Myriad Phenomena and contains immense vitality and devouring power."

"Inject it. If you endure it, it will grant you strength beyond anything you once imagined and allow you to truly enter the ranks of the strong. But if your will is not firm enough, it will consume you and turn you into a tree without consciousness."

These were White Zetsu Cells Huo Yuhao had extracted from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Though they were not as tyrannical as genuine Hashirama Cells, they were still far beyond what an ordinary Soul Master's body could withstand.

Tang Ya stared fixedly at the syringe.

If this had been before, she might have hesitated. She might have been afraid.

But after learning the "truth of the world," after suffering the collapse of her faith, all that remained in her heart was a thirst for power.

Her martial soul was Blue Silver Grass, but it was not ordinary Blue Silver Grass. It was Dark Blue Silver Grass with devouring attributes.

To avoid being treated as an Evil Soul Master by the academy, for the sake of the so-called righteous path...

I had always suppressed my martial soul's nature. I never dared devour life, only secretly absorb some energy from plants.

And what did that get me?

It left my cultivation stagnant. I became one of the weakest in Shrek Academy's Outer Court, not even qualified to protect the Tang Sect!

To hell with the righteous path!

To hell with Evil Soul Masters!

In this false world, only power is real!

"This junior, Tang Ya..."

Tang Ya tremblingly extended both hands and took the cold syringe, her gaze becoming firmer than ever before.

"Thanks Ancestor for bestowing this opportunity!"

Without any hesitation.

Pshk!

The sharp needle plunged fiercely into a vein in her right arm.

"Urgh... Aaaahhh!!"

In barely two seconds, Tang Ya let out a miserable scream.

It was not ordinary pain.

It felt as though thousands upon thousands of roots were growing wildly within her blood vessels, trying to burst through her, tear her apart, and use her as nourishment.

Then, a horrifying transformation began in her right arm.

Her skin turned rough and hardened, taking on the texture of wood.

Several tender green shoots even pierced through her skin and grew out.

The Wood Release power within the White Zetsu Cells was trying to seize control and assimilate its host!

"Teacher Xiao Ya! Hang in there!"

The Huo Yuhao clone at the side shouted at just the right moment, his voice filled with urgency and encouragement:

"Don't lose to it! Suppress it with your will! Once you get past this trial, the world of the strong will be waiting for you!"

Tang Ya dropped to one knee, cold sweat mixed with blood dripping to the ground.

Her consciousness began to blur.

Amid the excruciating pain, countless scenes flashed through her mind like a lantern reel.

Her parents' doting smiles, the joy of running across the Tang Sect's grasslands as a child...

Then the scene changed.

It was that bloody, rainy night.

Members of the Iron Blood Sect had burst into her home. Her parents lay in pools of blood, their eyes filled with despair...

And those lofty elders of Shrek Academy, Beibei's evasive words and dodging gaze, as well as the "false world" controlled by others that the Masked Man had shown her.

No... I can't die here!

I haven't had my revenge yet!

I haven't made those hypocrites pay the price!

I will shatter this... false world!!

"Get... back inside me!!"

Tang Ya let out a roar.

At that instant, the resentment and obsession within her turned into the most powerful spiritual force.

Her Dark Blue Silver Grass martial soul was released automatically. The deep-blue vines had now turned black as ink.

They frantically coiled around Tang Ya, engaging in a brutal battle and fusion with the rampaging Wood Release power.

Crack!

The skin on Tang Ya's back split open, and a thick branch suddenly shot out. Yet under the suppression of her astonishing willpower, it did not continue growing wildly. Instead, it swiftly shrank back and merged into her body once more.

At last.

The mutation stopped.

Tang Ya collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily.

But the aura surrounding her had undergone a complete transformation.

The frailty that had once belonged to Blue Silver Grass had vanished entirely.

In its place was a terrifying aura—unyielding, heavy, and filled with predatory intent.

"It worked..."

Huo Yuhao watched the scene before him, a trace of satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

Tang Ya slowly rose to her feet.

She raised her right hand, and with a thought—

Rumble!

The ground of the Kamui Dimension trembled.

No longer were they thin, weak vines.

A monstrous tree as thick as a thigh, jet-black from top to bottom and covered in strange red patterns, suddenly burst from the ground behind her.

Its branches spread out, and the edges of every leaf were lined with dense serrations that emitted devouring fluctuations.

This was a brand-new martial soul combining the traits of White Zetsu Cells and Dark Blue Silver Grass.

Tang Ya caressed the rough trunk, feeling the surging power within her body.

"Soul Power... rank thirty-four."

"Two ranks gained in one go..."

She looked at her martial soul, an enchanting smile curling across her lips.

"My martial soul should now be called—Dark Blue Silver Tree."

Not only had her Soul Power risen, but more importantly, her very level of life had advanced.

She could feel that, if she wished, this tree could instantly drain the life force of a Soul Master of the same rank.

"Very good."

Huo Yuhao clasped his hands behind his back and commented indifferently:

"This power suits you very well. And it possesses extremely strong concealment abilities."

"This Dark Blue Silver Tree has two forms. If you wish, it can revert to the appearance of ordinary Blue Silver Grass at any time, and its aura will become completely harmless."

"Before those old fools at Shrek, as long as you do not actively reveal its devouring ability, no one will discover the truth of your martial soul."

This was the way of survival for the Root.

Normally, it remained buried deep underground. At the critical moment, it burst from the earth and strangled everything.

Hearing this, Tang Ya felt completely reassured.

She withdrew her martial soul and returned to the appearance of a seemingly frail young girl, but the darkness in the depths of her eyes could never be erased again.

She deeply bowed to Huo Yuhao atop the platform, her tone devout and fanatical:

"Thank you, Ancestor, for the grace of remaking me!"

"Tang Ya will certainly carry out your will."

"I will make the Root of the Divine Tree spread through every corner of Douluo Continent!"

This is my Will of the Root! This is how I do things!